Miyagi federation OKs plan for third All-Star game

NPB’s proposal to hold the third All-Star game in quake-hit Sendai this summer was accepted on Tuesday by the Miyagi Prefectural High School Baseball Federation.

Initially, the final for the Miyagi regional tournament, in which schools are bidding for a spot in the national high school baseball championship, was scheduled to take place at Kleenex Stadium on July 24, the same day as the third All-Star game.

But the Miyagi federation has consented to a change in scheduling, extending the regional tournament, to avoid the venue being used on the same day.

“It’s not like you can have pro baseball All-Star games every year. If this could help to lift the spirits of people in the Tohoku region, we made the decision that this is probably a good idea,” said federation chief Hideyuki Sato.

The Miyagi regional tournament starts on July 9 with the final to be played on the 26th.

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles opened at home at Kleenex Stadium this season on April 29, more than two weeks after the start of Japanese baseball, due to damage from the quake that hit northeastern Japan.

This year’s All-Star games are currently scheduled for July 22 at Nagoya Dome, the 23rd at Tokyo Dome and the 24th at QVC Marine Field. Details of the games will be announced on June 7.